Mobile device management (“MDM”) is a set of technologies, protocols, and standards used for the remote management of mobile devices operating in a mobile telecommunications network. MDM provides various services for a mobile telecommunications service provider. One such service, called firmware over-the-air (“FOTA”), allows a mobile telecommunication service provider to send firmware updates to remote mobile devices. The use of MDM to facilitate FOTA updates has greatly improved the delivery of firmware updates to mobile devices operating in a mobile communications service provider's network.
Prior to FOTA, firmware updates required a user to visit a service center to have their mobile device updated with the latest firmware, or to connect their mobile device to a computer through a universal serial bus (“USB”) or other connection to update their device with the latest firmware. These methods are inconvenient for the user and rely heavily on users to seek out the firmware update. Some solutions exist to notify the user, via email, short message service (“SMS”) message, or other message, to connect their mobile device to their computer to receive the firmware update. These notifications are often ignored because, for many, updating their firmware is a difficult, time-consuming process.
Firmware updates often provide new features, while others are aimed at fixing bugs, improving various performance aspects of the mobile device, or even enabling functionality that is supported by the hardware of the mobile device, but has not yet been enabled. The latter is particularly relevant to devices that ship with hardware that is compatible with a next generation wireless network, but does not include the proper firmware to enable that hardware.
FOTA allows users to download firmware over-the-air directly to their mobile device. The mobile telecommunication service provider delivering the firmware does not know if the user associated with a particular destination mobile device is available to download and install the firmware. As such, firmware updates can be denied by a user. In some implementations, a user may deny a firmware update a predetermined number of times, after which the firmware update is forced. This may inconvenience the user by repeatedly asking the user to download the firmware, particularly if they need to use their mobile device at the time the firmware update is forced.
Smart card devices such as universal integrated circuit cards (“UICCs”) with one or more subscriber identity module (“SIM”) applications installed thereon (commonly referred to as “SIM cards”) are typically inserted into a designated slot in a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet computing device. A SIM card stores information according to one or more telecommunications standards to allow a device to authenticate and identify users on a network. SIM cards commonly store information such as a unique serial number called an integrated circuit card identification (“ICCID”), a unique number to identify a subscriber called an international mobile subscriber identity (“IMSI”), an authentication key (“Ki”) to authenticate the SIM to one or more networks, the current location area identity (“LAI”) that identifies a location area in which the mobile device is currently located, an operator-specific emergency number, and other information. As manufacturing technologies advance to enable nano-manufacturing and pico-manufacturing processes, devices will likely become increasingly smaller, making such SIM slot or similar interfaces smaller or even obsolete.